Lead Character Animator (Stylized Games | Unity3D | NA East Coast)

Lead Character Animator (Stylized Games | Unity3D | NA East Coast)

Location: Remote | North American Eastern Time Zone (ET)

Employment: Full-Time / Long-Term

Position Overview

We are looking for an experienced Lead Character Animator with exceptional artistic skills and a passion for bringing stylized characters to life for an unannounced game project with one of our partners.

We believe great character animation goes beyond movement. Every pose, gesture, and expression should communicate personality, emotion, and intent. From charming idle animations to impactful combat sequences, we want characters that feel alive, expressive, and instantly recognizable.

As part of our co-development team, you will collaborate across two studio hubs, one in the US and one in Europe. Working closely with animators, game designers, and creative leadership across both time zones, you will help shape character animation quality, establish artistic standards, and ensure a consistent creative vision throughout production.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone with outstanding character animation fundamentals, a strong artistic eye, and the ability to inspire others while actively contributing to production.

Responsibilities

Character Animation & Artistic Quality

• Create exceptional stylized character animations with strong posing, timing, weight, exaggeration, and personality.

• Bring characters to life through expressive body language, appealing performances, emotional reactions, and distinctive movement styles.

• Develop and polish character animations, including locomotion, combat, abilities, interactions, idles, and character-specific behaviors.

• Establish and maintain high artistic quality standards across the character animation pipeline.

• Ensure animations feel responsive, impactful, and visually readable during gameplay.

• Capture the subtle details and personality traits that make characters charming, memorable, and emotionally engaging.

Hands-On Character Animation

• Actively create and polish keyframe character animations, from initial blocking through final in-game implementation.

• Explore creative animation approaches, including exaggerated poses, stylized timing, and expressive character acting.

• Iterate directly in Unity3D to refine animation timing, responsiveness, transitions, and overall game feel.

• Collaborate with character artists, riggers, and technical animators to ensure characters achieve their full expressive potential.

• Balance exceptional animation quality with gameplay requirements and real-time performance constraints.

Leadership & Cross-Studio Co-Development

• Lead and mentor character animators, providing clear, constructive, and inspiring artistic feedback.

• Set quality benchmarks and establish animation guidelines to maintain consistency across characters and gameplay features.

• Work closely with creative and animation leadership across our US and European studio hubs.

• Help align artistic direction, feedback, and production priorities between teams working across different time zones.

• Collaborate with game designers, character artists, technical artists, and programmers to deliver cohesive character experiences.

• Take ownership of character animation quality, proactively identifying opportunities to elevate artistic execution.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in 3D character animation for games, including experience as a Senior Character Animator or Lead Character Animator.

• Experience working on commercially released game productions.

• Exceptional understanding of character animation principles, including posing, timing, spacing, weight, anticipation, exaggeration, and character acting.

• Strong background in stylized character animation, with a demonstrated ability to create expressive, appealing, and personality-driven performances.

• Outstanding animation reel showcasing high-quality character acting, distinctive movement, and polished in-game animations.

• Proven ability to create responsive gameplay animations with strong readability, impactful actions, and fluid transitions.

• Strong proficiency in Maya or equivalent professional 3D animation software.

• Experience working with Unity3D or comparable real-time game engines, including in-engine animation iteration.

• Ability to provide artistic direction, mentor other animators, and maintain consistent quality standards while remaining hands-on.

• Strong artistic judgment, attention to detail, and a passion for pushing character animation quality.

• Excellent communication skills and fluency in English.

• Availability to work primarily during North American Eastern Time (ET) business hours, regardless of physical location, with sufficient overlap for collaboration with our European studio hub.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with Unity3D character animation systems and mobile game production.

• Familiarity with pixel-inspired, simplified, or highly stylized animation aesthetics.

• Experience with exaggerated, cartoon-style animation and expressive character acting.

• Experience animating a variety of character types, including humanoids, creatures, and non-human characters.

• Understanding of character rigging, animation blending, and real-time animation workflows.

• Experience establishing character animation guidelines and quality benchmarks.

• Previous experience working in a co-development environment with external creative teams.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to contribute to an unannounced game project with one of our partners.

• High creative ownership and direct influence over character animation quality and personality.

• Close collaboration between US and European studio hubs, working alongside experienced international creative teams.

• Fully remote work within a supportive and collaborative environment.

• Competitive compensation based on experience and location.

• Long-term collaboration and opportunities for professional growth.

• Annual team retreats and a friendly, passionate studio culture.

Ready to Bring Characters to Life?

Send us your character animation reel and a short introduction. We would love to see work that demonstrates exceptional animation quality, expressive character performances, and the creative details that make characters truly unforgettable.